Microstructural characterization of binary and ternary hard coating systems for wear protection. Part I: PVD coatings

Different wear-resistant coatings produced by physical vapour deposition (P VD) were characterized with the aid of cross-sectional transmission electro n microscopy (XTEM). All coating systems were optimized by the producers an d exhibited good properties with respect to their special applications. The microstructure, texture and chemical composition of binary and ternary sys tems produced by the are process [TiN, CrN, Cr2N (Ti, Cr)N on steel substra tes] and magnetron sputtering process [TiN, CrN on steel substrates, (Ti, A l)N on Si-substrate] were investigated. All coatings had a more or less col umnar microstructure, which was interrupted by interlayers in some cases. W hereas are coatings always did show some kind of substrate modification, th e latter was not observed after magnetron sputtering. Electron diffraction normally revealed a mono-phase fee structure, except at sites very near to the interface. Only for the systems Cr-N and (Ti, Cr)-N were different addi tional phases observed at low nitrogen partial pressures. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.